Group Urban Excursions (aka Private Tours)
2022 Update: We no longer offer public tours and have kept this post as a historical record of our role in innovating in travel and tourism. Lately we’ve been bombarded by interest in our private tours of Chicago, and it probably comes along with the surge in interest in unique experiences these days. (FYI, we […]
Part Zwei (2) of Christkindlmarket: Tips for a Visit
We’d like to share a few tips to make the most out of your visit for shopping, food, and drinks at the Christkindlmarket. While the size of the Christkindlmarket is by no means intimidating, it’s easy to overlook some of the market’s most authentic offerings. Of course, you can let us lead you through Christkindlmarket […]
Been to Chicago’s Bronzeville Neighborhood?
Off the beaten path but still close to downtown, Bronzeville is a great place to learn more about our city. The four Chicago Community Areas of Grand Boulevard, Kenwood, Douglas, and Oakland comprise Bronzeville, which is historically known as the “Black Metropolis.” It served as the northern hub for the “Great Migration” of African Americans […]
Tour Questions Answered!
The curious people who come on our interactive, guided tours of history, culture and architecture sometimes have questions. Since Chicago Detours guides don’t make up answers for our architectural tours, we mark them down and then research the answers for them. Said research is done, so consider these tour questions answered! If you’ve come on […]
Success with the 1st One-Off Tour of Chicago Temple!
This past Saturday, August 6, Chicago Detours held it’s first (of many more to come) one-off special event tour with a 2-hour architectural and historical tour of the Chicago Temple building, which houses the First United Methodist Church as well as many law offices. This special event tour was sold-out with 22 guests. Senior Pastor […]
Chicago Tech Week: Reflections on the Future
Chicago Detours approaches the city not just as a history museum, but as a living organism to be experienced in the present, and the future, too. The city is abuzz with talk of Chicago as a hot place for technology start-ups. Mayor Emmanuel announced the “Apps for Metro Chicago” competition a month ago, and obviously […]
Remembering the Eastland Disaster
Today the U.S Coast Guard lay flowers on the site of the disaster along with the people of the Eastland Historical Society to commemorate Chicago’s worst disaster of human casualties. In 1916 the ship was ready to head out for the Western Electric Company’s annual picnic to Michigan City, Indiana. While the boat had been […]
Celebrating the Detours First Anniversary
Chicago Detours Founder and Tour Guide Amanda Scotese reflects on one year in business.
Answer to your Chicago architecture questions
Answers to questions from our Loop Interior Architecture Walking Tour! What kind of stone is Chase made of? Well, I knew it was granite, but what kind of granite was the question. Pearl Gray Granite. Where did it come from? A tour guest who worked on the building in the 1960s was happy to research […]
Navigating the Loop in 3-D
On our wintertime tour, “The Loop: Explore Without Freezing,” we experience the insides of buildings. With this unique perspective of architecture, we engage with intriguing stories of the inner-workings of city life. It’s pretty incredible the different worlds we step into over the short walking course of just half a mile, and we use the […]